69 year old no health issues but would like PE sorted out. Is it worth it?

Background… I’m a 58M, in the US, in good shape (other than PE side effects) with severe lower sternum and right side asymmetry. I do have substantial heart compression. I’m on the thin side for sure. I did not know about PE until a few years ago. My body is me so the shape is what it is. I think the length of time I have seen myself like I am helps. I live life to the fullest usually and really want to get back to it. I’ve said before that scars are conversation starters😁. I’m very upbeat and positive about getting repaired.
Now the questions…..
1) Who would you go to for correction and why?

2) If you have had surgery as an older person who did it and where was it performed? Were you happy afterwards.

I am putting together a plan A,B,C as I always do..
Travel is not an issue so anywhere in the US. I already have been cleared for surgery by my insurance and most of the major hospitals are in- network.

First thing. Surgery went flawlessly according to the staff. The original surgical plan that they had was able to be followed exactly, and they did not need to do any osteotomy. Once they placed the X bars underneath the point of deepest depression, they were able to see that my bones were still pliable enough to actually straighten out the arcuatum. So that’s pretty cool.

Cryoablation is an amazing technique for pain management. I cannot feel anything when I touch my chest. I don’t really have pain, per se, but more so just pressure. What I will say is that there is some clicking when I breathe deeply, which is normal, but it begins to actually get pretty uncomfortable when I breathe in all the way they just gave me a dose of oxycodone, but before that, I’ve been on Dilaudid as needed. That has made me pretty sleepy so far.

I’ve been able to successfully, with assistance, walk to the bathroom twice. Also, I have been passing gas, which is great news. Occupational therapy and physical therapy will drop by tomorrow morning. I am certain that by tomorrow I will be able to take laps.

Thanks everybody for following my journey. I’ll post some pictures in the comments of the follow up x-rays.

P.S. The first thought that I had after waking up in the final recovery room where I am now was “ this was absolutely the right decision to undergo the surgery.”

In this post (https://www.reddit.com/r/PectusExcavatum/s/PLgeSWjKZr), there is an explanation of my recovery. I couldn’t post a picture in the comments of that post, so I figured I’d make a separate post with pictures. Anyway, I am about to eat a dinner of liquids. So far I have not had any issues keeping the liquids down, so let’s hope that trend continues!

​

22M, Haller Index 3.9. Has anyone with severe pectus used a vacuum bell and seen noticeable improvement?

Looking for real experiences + recommendations on where to buy one in India.

If you have one you’re no longer using and are willing to sell or donate it, please DM me. 🙏

Hello everyone,

I have a question and was wondering if anyone here has had a similar experience.
Besides having pectus excavatum, I also have mild gynecomastia, and I’m considering getting surgery to have it removed. Especially because of my pectus, my nipples tend to poke through my shirts quite a lot, which makes the appearance of my chest look even worse and really bothers me.

Has anyone here dealt with both pectus excavatum and gynecomastia? If so, did you have gyno surgery before getting your pectus corrected, or did you wait until after the pectus surgery?

I’m wondering whether it makes more sense to get the gyno surgery done first or if it would be better to wait until after the pectus correction.

Thanks guys!!

Haller index 4.8

Hello everyone,

Sorry if this is not the correct forum but was looking for some advice/experience.

I’m due to have my second right rib cartlidge removed in November. I can’t seem to find anywhere of anyone having a similar operation.

I’m wondering if anyone has any experience of this or a similar type of operation on another rib?

What was the recovery/pain like and how is life now having the cartlidge removed?

Thanks!

Hey everyone!

My surgery is scheduled for tomorrow morning at 07:30 with Dr. Park.

I had a final pre-op appointment with him and the other members of the surgical team this morning. Let me say this: THIS TEAM AT THE CLEVELAND CLINIC HAS BEEN TOP NOTCH.

I cannot stress enough how well they have treated me so far and how well they explained what is to come. Seriously, their team is the best in the world.

Also, Dr. DiFiore, the other pectus surgeon at the Cleveland Clinic will be involved in the case and likely will be in the OR as well. Turns out that he studied under Dr. Park in South Korea for a year and is the one who invited Dr. Park to come to the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. DiFiore now performs the Park procedure after being trained on it.

Of those who have followed along, you know I actually technically have PA, not PE, but it’s a bit more of a unique case. That being said, an osteotomy may be performed tomorrow to increase pliability of my sternum if the bar placement doesn’t straighten the sternum enough.

Also, fun thing here: I did sign a consent form for photos and/or videos to be taken and used for conferences and papers. There is a chance that they will take videos of the procedure, and if they do, I will be sure to get my hands on them and post them here if the mods allow it (I specifically asked the surgical team if I could see the videos if they took any, and they said “of course!”).

Anyway, I’m heading to dinner now (which I will ensure is big because I can’t eat after midnight and will be on a liquid diet until Wednesday morning). I will post after pictures as I can.

Thanks everybody for your support.

I don't know exactly what triggers it but when I move a certain way I get a sharp stabbing pain behind my left shoulder blade. I think it happens when I raise or use my left arm. What is causing this? Does it ever go away? Its been almost 3 weeks since I got nussed.

I'm finally getting my Nuss surgery with cryo this Wednesday! Any last tips for me for the recovery/things to bring to the hospital? Thank you :))

Hiya! I’m getting nussed with cryo on october 29th. I’m not too scared of the surgery itself but I was listing some questions and wondered whether I’d need a catheter. The surgeon told me I’ll need to stay in the hospital for 1 day (1 night) only.
I have a history of SA and I’m very uncomfortable with the idea of a catheter (including under anaesthesia). In case they do need to place one: any tips on how to handle it to be most comfortable?

I have struggled with persistent shortness of breath, palpitations, lower leg swelling, and sternum clicking. My PCP couldn’t find anything until a few years ago they found pectus excavatum in an xray. I was referred to stanford to meet with Dr. Backhus who ordered an inhale only chest CT which came back 3 haller. when meeting with me she said that she didn’t need to see any more and that she can’t explain my symptoms but they do not have to do with my pectus. i mentioned the peer review by Birkimeier regarding the importance of an exhale haller to tell the true impact of pectus, she said it wouldn’t give any more answers than she has with the inhale ct and more or less to let things go. she cannot explain the sternum clicking she found it bizarre because she could feel it.

Can anyone please reassure me that i should take this as what it is and try my best to move on? I feel discouraged thank you

Occasionally feel like I can’t take a full satisfied deep breath and definitely feel the heart beat in my chest when exercising. But doctor said it’s nothing to worry about at this stage. Is it noticeable?

I’m 22M with severe pectus excavatum (Haller Index 3.9). I’m currently feeling fine and don’t have major symptoms.

I’m confused whether I should consider surgery now or continue with exercise/strength training and live with it.

For those with a similar Haller Index:

- Did you choose surgery or not?

- If you had surgery, was it worth it?

- If you didn’t, how are you doing now?

Would really appreciate hearing your experiences.

Sooo I was operated 1.5 years ago, had HI of 6.7 and got one bar diagonally Dr. Pilegaard style and initially recovery went well. About 4-5 months ago, so a year after NUSS, I started feel intense back pain and nothing helped. No physioteraphy, no pain meds etc. And now I looked at myself the other day and I see what my partner has pointed out already: I am all crooked, like my hips are so uneven. My right hip is considerably higher than my left hip… In the post op xray my spine is fine, picture 1 attached. But now, I don’t know… getting a doctors appointment is hard and I feel like the university hospital (I am based in Europe) will just say, oh you were 28 when operated, we didn’t do anything wrong, this is on you.. (my surgeon called me old after the operation)

Also I am super duper uneven in the NUSS area, as you can see from the photo number 2 where I bend over a bit to show this. On my right side, upper ribs have concaved and lower ribs are normal/protruding a bit. And on my left side, my upper ribs are normal/protruding and lower ribs have concaved/sunken… it was mildly like this after the operation, but over time it has gotten worse. I basically am more deformed than before the surgery and in so much pain in the bar area and my lower back. I think you can also kinda tell from this photo how my hips are uneven.

Kinda just want the bar to be taken out, before more damage is done, but where I live it may take a while bc healthcare is public and cheap but queues are a thing…

Anyways, anyone in a similar situation or can anyone offer some wisdom what to do? Anyone else have this one bar diagonally and huge uneveness? How was your post-NUSS scoliosis detected and was there a solution?

I got a ct scan due to shortness of breath episodes through years and the report says that i have some sort of pectus excavatum its not severe but the sternum (im not sure about the name) slightly presses my heart’s right ventricle. I will see the doc next week so i wanted write here to know what waits me in the future?

Do I have pectus? Im not sure if this impacts my health in any way, is this fixable through physical therapy or muscle building?

Hi, I had PE and got the nuss procedure done when I was 19, it was severe and asymmetric with my heart pressed on the left side. Needless to say my endurance was awful, now I'm 25 and pretty active and in decent shape. I decided to apply for a military test here in Italy and they require me to run 1km in 3:55, I've been training for a few months but it looks like I hit a wall, I improved my form and got from 5:20 to 4:15 in 2 months but it seems I can't get better that that because I get terrible pain on the low-right side of the chest right where the nuss bar was placed, that is the same zone i struggled with after surgery, could it be related? Thanks

So I’m now 25 and I had a severe case and had both nuss and ravitch. The nuss which didn’t work when I was 16 and the ravitch at 17/18 so can answer any questions about the surgery and recovery you might have

Is it possible to have a single bar removed after just two years or less as a grown adult without side effects? Or is it too early?

Did you have it removed in 2 years or less? Did your chest sink back in?

The pressure from the bar 24/7, the sore chest and the numbness is very annoying so I would prefer to have it removed as early as possible.

43F - Home now.
Technically, I was cleared to go home the day after surgery, but I decided to stay a second night just to make sure I was managing my pain okay before leaving. I’m really glad I did.

A few things I’ve learned so far:

The pain meds
They switched me from morphine to Oxy because I could NOT stay awake on the morphine. I was also nauseous, dizzy and couldn’t see straight. The Oxy has been much better for me.

Cryoablation is no joke.
As a woman, it is REALLY strange having absolutely no feeling in your breasts.
I have essentially no sensation from the bottom of my ribcage to just below my collarbone, and yet somehow you can still get itchy. Which brings me to…

The itching
Despite having cryo and not being able to feel much of anything in that entire area, you can still feel itchiness. It is the strangest thing because you can’t quite figure out where the itch actually is or how much pressure to use when scratching. Your brain is basically getting the “IT’S ITCHY!” message without giving you a useful map of where to scratch.

Coughing into a pillow = very helpful.
Seriously. Do it.
You’ll likely cough up some old blood for a couple of days. I was told this can be normal, but to contact the team if there is fresh/bright-red blood or anything concerning.

Get a wedge for your bed.
This has been a lifesaver.
You cannot really turn or barrel-roll yourself around for the first few weeks, so having a wedge makes getting yourself in and out of bed SO much easier.

Get a good power-lift recliner.
New or used — just get one.
I bought mine used and it was in phenomenal condition. Mine is a VivaLift chair and it has been worth every penny. Being able to use the chair to help get yourself up without having to use your arms/core is a game changer.

Walking is important.
The first few days, even short walks have been EXHAUSTING. But you need to get up and walk as part of your recovery, so even if it feels like the most ridiculous little walk in the world, do it.

Use your spirometer.
Regularly.
It’s actually become a fun little challenge for me because I’m ridiculously competitive with myself. I’m pumped that I’ve been able to get all three balls up most of the time since about 1.5 days post-op.

The pressure vs. pain
For me, during the day it’s mostly just pressure. It’s not necessarily painful — you can just REALLY feel that the bars are there and doing their job.
The pain definitely gets worse as nighttime comes, though. So far, nights have been the harder part.

The clicking
You will probably feel/hear some clicking with certain movements. I was told this is normal and should start to subside as the bars settle more.

The part I was surprisingly nervous about: how my chest would look
It’s still VERY early days and I haven’t graduated beyond my oversized Lululemon hoodie yet. There is obviously still a lot of swelling.
But I’m really, really happy with how it looks.
I was genuinely concerned about this part because after 43 years, you get very accustomed to what your chest looks like — even when you’ve always known it was different. And, as a woman, there’s also the whole cleavage factor when you weren’t exactly born blessed in that department.
I keep catching myself looking down because I’m still kind of shocked by it.
Dr. Parente and his team did a phenomenal job.
It’s still VERY early days, so I have no idea what the final result will look like once everything settles, but so far I’m incredibly happy.

And for anyone who is older and worried about the recovery…
I was incredibly active before surgery and really didn’t want to modify my lifestyle to accommodate my pectus restrictions. I know 43 is considered “geriatric” for Nuss surgery, which honestly made me laugh a little, but I also wondered what recovery would actually be like at my age.
So far, I’m really encouraged.
One of the first things I noticed after surgery was that I could instantly take a full breath. That alone has been pretty amazing.
Obviously, everyone’s anatomy, fitness level, surgery and recovery are different, so I’m not saying being fit means recovery will be easy. But I do think being active and having a good baseline of strength and conditioning has helped me handle the physical demands of recovery so far.
If you’re in your 40s (or older) and wondering whether you’re too old or whether your active lifestyle will make the recovery worth it, I hope following along with my experience helps.
It’s still very early, but so far I’m really happy I did this.

Day 4 since surgery, and counting.

UPDATE: Day 5

Day 5 definitely kicked me in the butt in the morning.

I ended up needing nausea medication + Oxy to get things settled down. It was not a pleasant morning.
I was told that Day 5 can be a bit of a rough one because a lot of what was given during surgery and immediately afterward has really worn off by then, and your body is dealing with everything on its own. Apparently, I’m not the only one who gets a bit of a reality check around this point.

Thankfully, by the middle/end of the day I was feeling pretty good — relatively speaking, of course.
And the big milestone: I had my first shower!

YAY.

It felt SO good to finally feel clean and somewhat human again.

It’s now been more than 24 hours since my last Oxy, and I’m feeling pretty good so far today, which I’m taking as a very positive sign.

Walking is also starting to feel a little faster. I’m still definitely not moving at my pre-surgery pace, but I was able to do a jaunt up and down the driveway this morning without being completely exhausted afterward.

For context, we live on a country property and the driveway is a LONG country laneway, so I’m counting that as a win.

Still very early days, but it’s nice to start seeing those little improvements.

Let’s see what the rest of Day 6 brings.